The Reunion
by readthedayaway
Summary: 5 Years after Clary's graduation from St. Xaviers, there is a reunion. Simon and Magnus, her two best friends insist she must go. The problem? Jace Wayland, the newest singing sensation, and Clary's former classmate is also going to be there. What will happen when they reunite? AU, no shadow hunters, Clace eventually
1. Chapter 1

"CLARRRYYYY!"

"For the love of all that's holy, who is screaming", a bleary eyed and sleepy voiced Clary murmurs.

"CLARRRYYY WAKE UP!" Magnus wails again while entering the explosion that is none other than Clary Fray's bedroom.

"Magnus why do you do this to me? Its only 10 o'clock on a Saturday ugh," Clary whines and snuggles into the pillowy confines of her bed once again.

Magnus, a tall, thin man with spiky black hair, already prepped and glittered for the day ahead, waltzes over to Clary's bed and whips off his roommate's covers.

"Excuse me, I truly did not appreciate that Mags, please replace my sheets thank you very much," Magnus quickly cuts in much to her dismay, "Being polite isn't going to get to you anywhere biscuit, and I don't think Simon wants to wait on the front mat any longer, he's getting agitated for some strange reason."

"Wait a second, why is Simon waiting on the front mat?" Clary implores.

"Wellllllll…"

"Mags, what did you do." At this point, Clary's voice had reached an eerily, calm tone, setting off warning bells in Magnus' mind, aka Clary is about to flip shit.

Magnus quickly rushes out an explanation, "Well, you should see the outfit, if you can even call it that, he has on. It's disturbing, I couldn't let him in too far, he'll clash with our décor and most definitely lower our glam standard."

"Number one, what the hell is a glam standard, and number two, GO LET SIMON IN" Clary counters.

Magnus huffs, "Fine, fine… what ever you say, just hurry up and get ready so you can get him out of here. I don't want the neighbors to see him."

As soon as Magnus exits the room, Clary scrambles out of bed and grabs the first items of clothing she can, "Screw your glam standard Mags," she mumbles to herself as she tugs on some ripped light wash jeans, an oversized black sweater and her worn out black converse. Throwing her long red wavy hair up into a messy bun she runs out the door and down the hall. Sure, she loves Magnus and they have been good friends for almost ten years now, but he's a little high maintenance when it comes to appearances.

"SIMON!" she squeals as she flings herself at the tall, gangly boy (who is now standing in the living room of her and Magnus' apartment) she has called her best friend since 3rd grade.

"Hey Clary! I've missed you so much." His voice slightly muffled as he hugs his tiny red headed friend.

Simon works at a software developing company or something of that sort. Clary has never really understood his job, but she does know that it made him relocate to Toronto from New York City right after their high school graduation. That was one event in her life that she was not very fond of. Five years later, he is still living in Toronto and although he visits every so often, it's still hard for Clary to be away from him.

"Ugh why do you live in Canada again? Its too far, move back this instant," Clary jokes, shaking his somewhat broad shoulders.

Simon chuckles and replies, "You know I love my job Clary, it's everything I've dreamed of and I even just got a promotion!"

"No way! That's fantastic!" She exclaims "And yes, I do know you love your job, I may not understand what it is or what you do but if it makes you happy, I'm happy. Now lets get out of here before Magnus' glam standard gets any lower."

"I HEARD THAT AND IT'S IN CRITICALLY LOW LEVELS AT THE MOMENT" Magnus shrieks from the kitchen.

"What the hell is a glam standard?" Simon whispers as they head out the door of the apartment.

Clary shrugs, "Couldn't tell ya."

Clary and Simon made their way to the coffee shop a block from her apartment; Java-… just kidding it was totally a plain old Starbucks. The pair ordered and made their way to a small table in the back.

"So, Clary." Simon began in a definitive tone. "Clear your schedule for next weekend, we have a very important event!"

"Oh God, what now," Clary groans. Simon was always coming up with strange events that he forced Clary to attend so he wouldn't have to go alone. The last outing was from a previous visit of his. They had their brains fried by Simon's friend Kirk and his butchering of slam poetry.

"Don't worry, I think you might like this one...Well maybe not but anyway here it is," Simon brought up a facebook event page on his phone and shoved it in Clary's face.

Clary steadies the phone and reads off the event title, "St. Xavier's Secondary School Class of 2010: Five Year Reunion" Clary immediately thrusts the phone back into Simon's hands.

"No way, there is absolutely no way that I will be attending that shit show," a tone of finality ever present in her voice.

"But why not? I need this chance to go back and shove in those bullies faces my fantastic career and my success!" Simon whined.

"Simon, let's be real here you just want to go and drool over Isabelle Lightwood some more." Simon was definitely not the most popular kid in high school. Of course there were the jerks that picked on those who were different or non-conformant to the social customs of the average small-minded adolescent, thus making Simon a prime target. Clary herself, being friends with Simon was never part of the popular crowd, nor did she want to be but was able to fade into the background pretty well. Isabelle Lightwood on the other hand was one of the most fashionable and beautiful girls in their year, although she herself chose to hang around her twin brother Alec more than the usual popular crowd. Clary sensed that the populars were all slightly intimidated of the girl, as she could have been a high fashion model at age 16 and didn't take crap from anybody. Seriously, she was feisty. This was all speculation of course, as she never actually had a conversation with the girl in all four years of attending the school.

"C'mon Clary!" Simon urged, totally disregarding her but not denying her statement about Isabelle, "You know you want to show them how well your studio has done! You've really made a name for yourself through your art!"

Clary thought for a moment, "Ya, I guess it would be kind of cool to see what happened to everyone, I guess we can drag Magnus out there too, he'll love having the chance to make an entrance."

"Oh Magnus is in, I told him about it while you were sleeping, he rushed off to start prepping for the outfit he's going to design and make. He almost had a fit when I told him it was only a week away," Simon stated.

Clary chuckled, "Oh of course he did, wait a second why did it say that there was over two thousand people going?"

"Seriously Clary? Why do you think? Jace "I'm a big superstar" Wayland said he was going a couple days ago," Simon replied in a slightly disturbed manner, "I can't believe you haven't seen it in the news yet."

"Hey I'm a busy gal, and I don't have time to gaggle over someone who almost made me fail chemistry because he almost blew up the lab." Clary replied flippantly.

"Oh that's right! I totally forgot about that!" Simon reminisces, "I remember you two getting along alright other than that incident."

Clary takes a slow sip of her coffee, "I guess so, I mean we never spoke outside of class or anything, but we got along well enough to at least past chem."

The radio host on the station that was filtering through the coffee shop began to speak "Here comes Jace Wayland's newest single in 5, stick around, you want to miss the biggest song of this heart throb's career."

"Ugh let's go Simon, I've had just about enough of him for the day, I'll take you for a movie." Clary states while discarding her now empty cup and moving towards the exit.

Simon quickly followed behind, "Sounds good to me! But we're still going to the reunion. You can't distract me that easily."

"Alright, alright I'm going to go, don't get your knickers in a knot." Clary exhales. She really wasn't feeling the whole thing still, but she new she could never resist seeing Jace again. For she may have had the ittiest bittiest, teeniest, tiniest, most secret crush on him five years previously…


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter and followed/favorited and reviewed. It made my heart v happy. This chapter is kinda short and a lil bit of a filler but we need some build up going on here friends. I apologize for any mistakes, (I noticed there were a couple in the last chapter, my bad, I just get tired of editing and kind of give up half way thru so ya) Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions/clarity issues.**

Chapter 2

When Simon and Clary returned to the apartment after watching the movie, they were faced with what could only be described as a fashion warzone. There were sewing patterns and various fabrics strewn all over the floor and a very frazzled looking Magnus was hunched over his sewing machine.

Clary stopped Simon very abruptly and whispered, "Shhh, what ever you do, don't make a sound. You don't want to be caught in the crossfire when he's 'creating,'" Clary gestures towards the frenzied Magnus.

The pair tiptoed quietly towards Clary's bedroom and only when the door was locked did Simon speak, "I'm so very frightened for the day when Magnus runs out of glitter."

Clary gasped audibly, "I never want to hear you utter those words again, Lord knows that what he would do."

Simon planned on staying for the week on Clary and Magnus' couch then leaving the Monday after the reunion, so he had plenty of time to catch up with Clary.

"So", he began, "What's the plan for the week?"

"Well I do have to go into the studio in the mornings but afternoons are free for whatever your little heart desires." Clary informed him as she flung herself onto her bed.

Simon made his way over as well, not without tripping over a mountain of socks and a stay easel. Clary flicked on the television. It was tuned to an entertainment channel and they were featuring an interview with none other than Jace Wayland. Just as Clary was about to change the channel Simon snatched the remote out of her hand.

"Yo, what are you playing at bro give it back," Clary squealed as she reached over wildly trying to grasp the remote. Much to her annoyance Simon held it high above his head. "Oh now we're playing the short card are we?"

Simon chuckled, "Stop being crazy, I just want to see if he mentions anything about the reunion."

"Or maybe you just have a secret undying love for Jace," Clary muttered under her breath, while returning to her side of the bed.

Simon whispered back, "Nope that's you my dear friend."

Clary, stunned momentarily by the accusation recovered quickly with an almighty "Hell no."

"I know, I'm just teasin' ya kid, it's so easy to get a rise out of you, I love it." Simon replied, "Now let's watch and see what the pop wad says."

Clary glared over at him but couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her, when Simon referred to Jace as a 'pop wad'.

They had missed the first half of the interview but it seemed as thought they had simply talked about his new single/album and the upcoming tour he was about to go on. The interviewer continued on, "So, we've heard some rumors that you're in New York this week to attend a high school reunion?"

Jace flashed a charming smile towards the woman, "Yes, it may seem a bit weird but I'm really looking forward to catching up with some old friends."

He dazzled the woman, Clary could tell, he conducted himself in such a personable and humble way that Clary could still see the boy he was back in high school. He had always been popular; his good looks helped him gain the attention of the female population even back then. It was odd to Clary though as he never took part in the antics of the popular crowd, sure he hung around them sometimes, but he always seemed to be absent from the cruel jokes and snide remarks that were being handed out left, right and center. Jace could more often than not be found hanging out with Alec and Isabelle. They were a somewhat elusive group and kept to themselves, with only Jace branching out every now and then. Again, having only ever spoken to Jace in their final year of chemistry, she gathered most of her information through observation.

The interviewer pressed on, "That's wonderful, I'm sure they're all looking forward to seeing you again too, who wouldn't be?"

At this point Clary and Simon both jokingly raised their hands.

"That's very nice of you to say, I hope so too, there's a couple people that I've been really thinking about lately and I truly hope we get back in touch." Jace spoke in such a wishful and sincere manner that Clary's heart fluttered the tiniest bit. Shocked she looked down at chest confusedly, "Wut the hell you doing down there, you barely spoke to him" she thought to herself. Her internal monologue was continued by a little voice saying, "you always were able to make him laugh though, it was you're joking that made him distracted and almost blow up the lab tbh…" the debate continued in her mind "Oh don't you dare go blaming that on me! That was so not my fault."

Simon cut into Clary's training of thought with an utterly perplexed look on his face, "Uh, Clary? Y'alright there girl? You've been staring at your chest for a while now. Are you like, checking yourself out?

Clary looked up startled, "Uh no, that's so weird why would you even say something like that" as she smacked him upside the head. "It's late, Magnus should be in bed by now, you can go sleep on the couch."

"Am I being dismissed?" Simon asked feigning mock hurt.

Clary waved him, nose stuck up in the air, "Yes, now shoo, shoo, this ginger needs her beauty rest."

"No amount of rest can make you beautiful, I'm sorry to say," replied Simon as he backed out of the room, tripping once again on the easel and landing flat on his ass.

"HA! That's what you get for insulting me good sir." Clary squealed.

"You are so strange," Simon muttered picking himself off the floor.

"LOVE YOU SI," Clary screamed as he marched down the hall.

"LOVE YOU TOO CLARE," He screamed equally as loud back.

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 **P.S. while watching this I binged watched like every darling buds video on youtube…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello friends, hope you enjoy this chapter, grammar mistakes and all (bc I'm sure I've missed many) seriously I'm not quite sure how I'm in university. JK (but not really) anyway I wonder if anyone is actually reading this… alright well here's chapter three for youuuu. If anyone wants a preview of the next chapter review and you will receive that. Probably tmo tho. Reminder, I am not Cassandra Clare and I am merely borrowing these characters.**

Chapter 3

The week had gone by quite quickly. Simon hung out at the studio, showing customers around who walked in off the street, which allowed Clary to focus on working in the back. In the afternoons they usually grabbed a bite to eat, and hung out just relaxing and catching up. Saturday arrived faster than expected and Clary was sad as that meant Simon would be leaving her again soon. Plus it was the day she would have to endure the nostalgia of her 'wonderful high school experience'. Yes, the day of the reunion had finally come.

"CLARY! WAKE UP TODAY IS THE BIG DAY!"

"Ugh, Mags, turn the volume down" groaned a very sleepy Clary.

"Ugh that was me Clare, not Magnus and I'm like super offended that you thought I was Magnus." Simon scowled while stalking over to her bed and ripping off her covers.

At this Clary screamed, "WHY DOES EVERBODY KEEP DOING THAT!" Simon laughed and began to leave her room so she could get ready for the day. He called back to her, "Pip pip, time to get going, we have jerks to see and careers to rub in their faces. Car leaves in 2 hours."

Grumbling, Clary dragged herself out of bed and towards her bathroom. After a quick shower she began to rifle through her closet. She needed to pick something that said, "Ya you may not remember me from high school but look how cool I am now, sorta thing," if that look even existed… She finally settled on a black long sleeve romper with a v-neck and shorts. She even pulled on some black pumps even though she despised them, they did make the outfit, and thus she would have to deal. Taming her hair into loose waves was the next battle. It took a while and a shit ton of hairspray but in the end, she got the results she was looking for. Sweeping on a bit of cover up, mascara, eyeliner and red lipstick, she was ready to go.

She made her way into the living room of the two-bedroom apartment and grabbed some lunch as it was already two in the afternoon. And yes, Clary did wake up at noon, because why wouldn't she, it's a free country. Magnus and Simon were sitting at the counter animatedly discussing the pros and cons of wearing underwear. Two guesses as to who was supporting the cons of underwear and the first one doesn't count.

Magnus was distracted from the conversation by Clary's entrance. "OMG Biscuit. You look fabulous! I can't believe you're wearing heels!" Magnus exclaimed jumping of his stool with a start. Clary retorted, "Trust me, I can't believe it either." Clary gave Magnus a once over; he was wearing a perfectly tailored black suit with a silver tie and silver eyeliner to match. He was significantly toned down from his usual level of sparkle but he looked nothing short of dashing. "Wow Mags, you look amazing! Very different from the usual." Clary was thoroughly impressed.

"Well, you know, I must keep everyone on their toes, who knows what I'll do next. Unpredictability is an accessory all by itself." Magnus mused. At this Simon looked down at his own attire, a plain black button down shirt and some khaki pants, "I don't believe I own that accessory Mags…, and I'm not quite sure I want to." Magnus also looked Simon over, "That's your loss Si, but for the fashion challenged such as yourself, predictability is the least of your worries."

"Alright you two, you both look great and you're going to absolutely blow the minds of our former peers," Clary said with exasperation, "Now lets get this over with before I change my mind. I can practically hear my bedroom calling me back." Clary reluctantly exited her apartment with Simon and Magnus trailing closely behind.

The cab ride to their old high school was fairly short and they arrived in no time. What they did not expect was the thousands of fans and paparazzi that would be waiting outside the doors.

"What the hell, who are all these people and why do they care so much about a high school reunion." Clary stated with an annoyed look on her face. She was not in the mood to be bothered by randoms. "Ah, my dear Clary, how quickly you forget our famous fellow classmate, does the name Jace ring a bell." Magnus taunted. "Oh, stop you. And no, I didn't forget, I just didn't think he was THIS much of a big deal," said Clary gesturing to the crowds that were looking towards the doors of the high school. "You may not think he's a big deal Clare, but to the rest of the world, or at least those who are not hermits, have heard of him and are in agreement that he in fact is this much of a big deal." Simon muttered as he attempted to elbow his way through the crowd.

"Hey, you calling me a hermit Lewis?" Clary shot back playfully as she followed in his wake. "Never!" Simon exclaimed in mock astonishment. "Well, maybe a little," he finished, laughing as he finally made it to the front of the crowd. There were security guards at the doors, checking ID's making sure that only those who actually graduated from the school and their guests were being let in. Once Clary was through security and in the building she muttered to herself, "Jeez this is probably the most high profile high school reunion ever." As soon as the words, were out of her mouth she heard someone whisper behind her "I know right, I heard some lame celebrity is coming." But by the time Clary got her bearings and whipped around to identify the person, a huge crowd of people walked by and swallowed up the mystery whisperer, but she swore she saw a distantly familiar flash of gold amongst the crowd.

Simon and Magnus finally made it through security and met up with Clary in the hallway. They walked through the halls in a peaceful silence just taking in the place and thinking of all the memories it held for them. High school may not have been the greatest four years of their lives but it was where they had met Magnus and they had managed to have a good time every once in a while. It's crazy how four years of your life can have such an impact on who you become as a person and being back at the school almost felt like going back in time.

After a quick lap around the school the trio made their way to the gym where the festivities were being held. The reunion was planned to involve talks from a few of the old staff members but there was a pretty relaxed vibe. The gym had been decorated in the school's colours with the typical balloons and streamers. There were also circular tables set up around the room and food and drink stations strategically placed in between.

Maia Roberts, the organizer of the event and former class president, approached them with a bright smile, "Hey guys! I'm so glad you could make it! Here are some name tags for you guys, feel free to mingle and get to reminiscing!" With that she scurried over to the next group of people entering the gym, leaving the group to join the crowd forming near the make shift stage.

"She is just as perky as I remember, if not more," Clary snorted. "Ya, she really hasn't changed much has she?" Simon laughed as they all agreed that Maia would always be the same determined, organized and upbeat person as she was back in high school. Clary looked down at her nametag, "I can't believe we have these, I mean it's only been five years. We shouldn't really require name tags." Magnus added, "I know right! Who could forget all of this?" as he gestured to himself, emphasizing some non-existent curves as he did while Simon and Clary merely laughed.

There was a sudden increase in volume in the room and the trio turned around to face the source of the noise. The crowd of people had shifted to form around whoever had just walked in the door.

"Well I wonder who that could be," Simon mock questioned. Clary being practically the shortest person living on earth (a minor exaggeration) was standing on her tiptoes trying to see around the hoards of people. There was a brief clearing in the group and Clary was looking directly at the one and only Jace Wayland, flanked by Isabelle and Alec Lightwood. There were groups of people on either side of them trying to speak to Jace in particular and Maia was frantically shaking name tags at all three of them. Clary laughed internally at that but her attention was brought back to the center of the group. Jace Wayland, in all his golden glory, was staring directly at something, or more specifically someone. That someone was Clary Fray and he looked at her as though he had no intentions of looking at anything else for the rest of the evening.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! I said in my last author's note that I would give you a preview if you reviewed but I got so many guest reviews and I couldn't PM you guys so I just decided to bang out the next chapter in its entirety. Hope you enjoy. The song used in this chapter is called Never Had by Oscar Isaac and the plot line of this story is loosely based of a sub plot from the movie 10 years. So ya watch that if you like.**

Chapter 4

Clary warily looked around her; surely Jace wasn't staring at her. But there wasn't anyone behind her; the crowd had all shifted toward the entrance, leaving Clary, Magnus and Simon back near the stage.

Jace was pointedly ignoring everyone surrounding him, and the hoards of people began to back away and break of into their own groups again. Smaller conversations cropped up involving whispers about the musician in their midst.

Simon hadn't seemed to notice Jace's gaze, his eye's had been glued to another member of Jace's company. But Magnus looked down at Clary with a questioning look, "Is he staring at you Biscuit or have I inhaled too much hairspray?"

Clary was startled out of her reverie and broke her eye contact away from the golden boy. That act of peeling her eyes away was in and of itself a miracle, as he was even better looking five years later, Clary thought. He had filled out more and was much more broad across his shoulders than when she had last seen him, which was their grade twelve-graduation day. His hair was longer, just brushing the tops of his shoulders and was perfectly messy as if he had just woken up and ran his hands through it. Throw in his black leather jacket and ripped jeans and Clary knew at once she was a goner. Again. She'd never admit it out loud of course but he was without a doubt one of the most beautiful human beings she had ever seen. Maybe it was her artist's eye but there was something so captivating about him. He wasn't conventionally handsome, but he had a sort of rugged charm that made her heart beat marginally faster. And when he looked at her with that small smile she remembered oh so well, she couldn't think of anything in this world that she would rather be looking at.

"I think it's the hairspray Mags," she barely stuttered out. Magnus looked back towards Jace who had begun to make his way across the room. He chuckled, "Well the fumes must have given me some really vivid hallucinations because he's coming over here."

Clary whipped her head back around and Magnus was in fact correct. Jace was walking right over to the trio, while Alec and Isabelle followed behind, wearing matching expressions of, for lack of a better word, boredom.

Simon finally snapped out of his Isabelle induced haze and began freaking out like the 12-year-old schoolgirl he was at heart. "What do we do? Where do we go? What do I say? Are we sure they're coming towards us? What do they want? Did Isabelle see me staring at her? Are Jace and Alec coming to beat me up? Wow Isabelle looks great, should I tell her? Do you think she remembers who I am and how does my hair-"

Clary abruptly cut Simon off, fearing a full-blown panic attack on the horizon, "SIMON, chill out dude. You need to breathe, you're turning a lovely shade of purple."

Simon took a few deep, calming breathes, "I know, she just makes me so nervous. I can't think straight."

Clary was all too familiar with that feeling but she was determined to keep herself together, "Ok guys," she started addressing her two friends. Magnus had been surprisingly quiet during Simon's explosion but they both focused on Clary, "We just need to act natural. Someone think of a conversation topic so we look busy when they come over here." Also, to show that they _totally_ weren't staring at them like they were comatose patients on the loose.

Magnus quickly jumped into action, "So last week at the office, we had someone coming in looking to redo a basement and they asked us to use a purple, orange and green colour palette. I was like, are you kidding me? What am I supposed to do with that? It's absolutely despicable. Karl Lagerfeld wouldn't even think about that colour combination and he can make practically anything work."

Clary simply laughed at his outburst and replied, "Not really the topic choice I was going for but good effort nonetheless."

Simon jumped in as well, "Ya I have no idea what just came out of your mouth Mags." His expression was one of confusion and Clary knew that he was still trying to puzzle out just who Karl Lagerfeld was and his relation to the story.

"Well we could always finish our discussion on how not wearing underwear should more socially acceptable." Magnus countered.

"Oh God not again," Simon groaned. "It's times like these when I'm so glad I live many miles away." A strange look crossed over Simon's face. It was like he was suddenly petrified. Clary would have thought it was comical in any other situation but at that very same moment someone tapped on her shoulder and spoke in the same whisper of a voice she had heard earlier, "Excuse me."

Clary slowly turned her body away from Simon and Magnus to address the mysterious whisperer and came face to face with Jace. She had feeling this was going to happen when she saw him walking over to them but she still had her doubts believing he was simply walking towards the bar or something. Plus the addition of Magnus' ridiculous conversation almost made her forget who was possibly coming up to them. But nope there he was, with his small smirk and golden eyes that continued to stare into Clary's green ones.

Jace seemed unfazed by Clary and Simon's stiff expressions and merely introduced himself and Alec and Isabelle. Magnus immediately smiled at Alec and asked if he would like to get a drink with him. Clary thought to herself, _well that was fast_. Alec blushed almost as if he was slightly embarrassed and quietly agreed.

Just then two girls that Clary was dreading to see approached the group. Kaelie and Seelie, the ringleaders of the former popular crowd, surrounded Jace.

Kaelie began speaking in the most annoying nasally voice that Clary had hoped she would never have to hear again, "Jace Wayland! OMG it's been wayyyy too long!"

Seelie, not to be outdone joined in too, "Yes I can't believe it! We must catch up, maybe in our old hiding spot yeah?" She smiled attempting to be seductive and throw him a wink but she ended up looking somewhat constipated with a bad eye twitch in Clary's opinion.

"Ya, maybe, um, ya I'll get back to you on that," he laughed nervously. Isabelle scoffed at the girl's miserably lame attempts and motioned to Simon, "Come on Lewis, buy me a drink." And she proceeded to stalk over to the bar with Simon following behind like a dutiful puppy. Clary could have sworn she even heard Simon say, "As you wish my lady."

Clary's attention was brought back to her current company when Kaelie said, "Come on Jace, lets get something to drink and you can tell me all about what being a rockstar is like." She then latched on to his arm and began stroking it in a somewhat possessive manner. Jace paled and desperately searched Clary's eyes for help.

Clary could almost see the light bulb go off above his head and quickly released himself from Kaelie's iron grip and stepping towards an amused Clary. "Actually", he began, "I need to speak with Clary about designing the cover for my new album so if you'll excuse us." Jace then proceeded to lightly place his hand on her lower back and lead her away to a table near the back corner of the room.

Clary was somewhat shocked at the turn of events and her lower back was tingling in the most exciting way where Jace's hand was placed. He sat down at the empty table and Clary followed, nervously sitting in the seat next to him, hyper aware of how close they were to each other.

Jace just sat there smiling at her and her nerves got the best of her when she blurted out, "I can't believe you even remember me."

Jace looked surpised at her sudden outburst, but responded simply, "How could I forget the best lab partner I ever had?" Clary looked up at him and slowly her nerves began to fade as she was reminded he was the same person he was five years ago. Just now a few more people knew who he was. He continued on, "I'm really glad you came Clare. I was really looking forward to seeing you again. Although, I am surprised that you aren't sporting your famous funny yellow chucks." He said smirking and looking down at her heels.

Clary looked at him in awe, _I can't believe he remembers my shoes_ ; she thought absentmindedly and began to laugh. "Ya, I kinda retired those bad boys after we graduated." Clary thought back to the time when she only wore yellow high top converse to school. She loved their unique vibe and practically wore them with everything. Rain, snow, and sun, those shoes had seen it all.

She was brought out of her thoughts by Jace, "Hey, I was actually serious about the cover art for my album back there though. My team tried to force me into some wack photo shoot but I totally want you to design something for me. I think you could do a really great job with it. You were always the best artist and from what I've heard you still are." He gave her the most encouraging smile that Clary couldn't help but return, "That would be incredible, I'd love to," she replied.

Just then, a very harried looking Maia interrupted them. "Jace, I know you said you didn't want to perform but we are in desperate need here. Mr. Starkweather's plane was delayed and we have no one to go on. I really need this event to be a success so could you please help us out?" She practically begged Jace and looking extremely desperate.

Clary noticed that a couple girls were looking in the direction of the interaction and they scurried over to add in, "Yes please!" and "Come on Jace!" She could tell he was semi reluctant so Clary whispered to him feeling a little brave, "Ya, come on Jace," with a teasing smirk on her face. Then she added as an after thought, "I've actually never heard you sing," she looked down slightly embarrassed.

Jace couldn't believe it. "Really? I'm wounded Clare" he asked feigning mock hurt as he clutched his chest. "Well, now I must." He then leaned closer to her and whispered, "Time to take away your Jace Wayland music virginity." Clary blushed as he laughed at his own joke.

Attempting to keep some form of dignity, Clary replied, "What makes you think I want it taken? Maybe I've been avoiding your music because I just knew I wouldn't like it." She joked back while raising her eyebrow. The sass was too real.

"Well, I guess were about to find out if that's true or not, come on then." He gestured to her standing up and as they began walking to the stage he placed his hand on her lower back and my lord she'd be lying if she said it didn't make her feel some type of way.

Jace left Clary at the front of the stage and hopped up along with Maia. The crowded gymnasium quickly caught on to what was happening and approached the stage.

"Class of 2010, it is my honor to introduce the most talented person I am grateful to say I know and someone who we all grew up with. Ladies and gentlemen put your hands together for Jace Wayland!" Maia announced and then promptly exited the stage to allow Jace to take over.

Jace then addressed the crowd, "Thanks for the intro Maia. I'm gonna perform my new single for you guys and it goes out to someone very special to me."

With that Jace grabbed a guitar that Maia held out to him and began strumming (How fortuitous that there was one just laying around Clary thought).

 **AN: Please read all lyrics to the song, they are crucial to the plot.**

 _I've been gone for so long now_

 _Chasing everything that's new_

 _I have forgotten how I got here_

 _I have not forgotten you_

 _We were just children with our eyes opening_

 _You were all that I could see_

 _You came close enough to know my heart beat but_

 _Still not close enough for me_

 _Through the good times and the bad_

 _You were the best I never had_

 _The only chance I wish I had to take_

 _There was no writing on the wall_

 _No warning signs to follow_

 _I know now and I just can't forget_

 _You're the best I never had_

 _Na na na_

 _In this motel_

 _Will pass midnight_

 _When I'm bluer than a bruise_

 _And you come drifting in through the half-light_

 _In your funny yellow shoes_

 _And I hope that's you standing at my doorway_

 _That's the scratchin of your key_

 _And I hope this song I'm singing_

 _Someday finds you_

 _My letter to Elise_

 _Through the good times and the bad_

 _You were the best I never had_

 _The only chance I wish I had to take_

 _There was no writing on the wall_

 _No warning signs to follow_

 _I know now and I just can't forget_

 _You're the best I never had_

 _Na na Na na na_

 _Best I never had_

 _Na na Na na na_

 _Best I never had_

Clary was mesmerized. The way he sang and connected with the audience was unlike anything she had ever experienced and his voice flowed so sweetly through the song. But something caught her attention about half way through the performance. She thought internally _did he just say funny yellow shoes?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Yo, I'm v sorry for the wait. (If anyone is even anticipating these chapters lol) Again, I hate editing so I'm very sorry about the mistakes, if there is any confusion, I will gladly try and clear that up for you! Just a shout out to one of my favourite authors on fanficition that followed my story, PurpleAi, you are the bomb and I may have had a tiny fangirl moment when I got the notification that you followed my story….**

 **All rights go to Cassandra Clare.**

 _Clary's POV_

The reunion had turned into a mad house. It was suddenly a full-blown Jace Wayland concert. The crowd chanted for him to sing more and while he modestly tried to revert the attention of the crowd back to the reunion, they were having none of it. Everyone was entranced by him, including me.

But what was I supposed to say to him? Was the song even about me? Was I reading too much into this?

The sad thing is I will probably never know. The crowd had become so violent and rowdy, trying to get closer to the stage that security guards (who must work for Jace I presume) rushed the stage and safely escorted him out after he thanked the crowd and wished them another happy five years.

I was left with so many feelings swirling through my mind. It could not be me that he was singing about. There's just no way its possible. I was a nobody in high school. I literally had two close friends, Magnus and Simon. Everyone else was just an acquaintance. Plus I spent majority of my time in the art room. There's absolutely no way it's me. It was at this point that the small voice in the back of my mind reminds me, "Who else could have had funny yellow shoes?"

I was broken out of my reverie when Simon approached me. "Clary did you see that! It was like a whole concert in here!"

"Really no way?!" I asked with as much sarcasm as possible clouding my voice. I've always believed in the philosophy that stupid questions deserve stupid answers. "Of course I saw it dip shit."

"Hey, hey, hey no need to spaz. I'm just excited! He's actually a lot better than I thought he would be! I thoroughly enjoyed it!" Simon replied eagerly.

I make and exaggerated sniffing motion, "Do I smell something?"

Simon too started sniffing, "I don't know what does it smell like?"

I simply smiled in mock realization, "Oh never mind it's just your man crush. Jeez Si, it's not even a Monday, contain yourself."

"Oh, shush you." He retorted back.

I just remembered that I hadn't seen Simon since he was dragged away by Izzy and I'm slightly concerned as to how that interaction went. Simon doesn't always make the best first impressions, or re-impressions in this case I guess. He's more of a 'learn to love him' kind of dude.

"Hey so how did it go with Isabelle?" I asked nudging him gently in the side with my elbow.

Simon's cheeks instantly coloured. "It was really good actually. Somehow she seemed impressed with the work that I'm doing. And she said she's actually going up to Toronto soon for fashion week."

I was thoroughly impressed with Simon's newfound social skills. "That's great Si! Please for the love of all that is good in this world tell me you asked her to meet up again?"

"I actually did." Simon stated, almost seeming a little in disbelief himself. He then continued on, "I even got her number."

I was so thrilled for Simon, I was glad that he was able to make this connection, or maybe re-connection. But something nagged at the back of my mind. My internal voice piped up again, _where's Jace's number huh? How will you ever contact him again._

Simon was too lost in his own world, probably thinking about Isabelle to notice my internal conflict. A lump had formed in my chest and I couldn't stop the feeling that I had missed some opportunity today. The thought clawed it's way into my mind and had taken up residence there. I knew then that thoughts of Jace and what had or hadn't happened today would be playing through my head on a loop.

At some point Simon dragged me away to talk to some other people at the reunion but my head wasn't in it. I think Simon eventually got the message when he politely excused us from a group of his old gamer buddies. One look at my indifferent expression and he announced, "Let's find Mags and get out of this hell-hole."

I had never loved Simon more than in that moment. I wasn't sad per say. I was just confused. I had too many emotions running through my head and being in a place with so many memories and so many things that could trigger me back into thoughts of Jace that I needed nothing more than to escape. To leave, and go somewhere where I could sort through this overwhelming _thing_ that had happened. Yesterday I wouldn't have believed that Jace Wayland even remembered my name and now today he's possibly singing love songs about me five years later? It was all too much.

We finally found Magnus and extricated him from a group of girls who were all seemingly taking notes on his fashion advice, _some things never change I guess_ , and we left St. Xavier's. The crowd had thinned considerably outside seeing as the main attraction had left a couple hours earlier, so we had no trouble finding a cab and heading back to the apartment.

As soon as we got in the door, I left to my room under the pretense that I had some work to catch up on for Monday. In reality I knew I needed to just clear my head for a few hours. I grabbed my sketchbook off my bedside table and went to sit on the balcony that was attached to my bedroom. Our apartment was blessed with a view of Ney York City like none other. It may be smaller than a shoe box but the floor to ceiling windows with the view that we had, made it all worth it.

I drew without thinking for what felt like hours. I drew anything and everything that came to mind. Doodling is probably one thing I could lose myself in. I cam back to myself when the cool night air began to seep into my skin and my stomache grumbled. I definitely needed food, like asap rocky.

I quickly hurried into the kitchen and grabbed a quick snack. Thankfully Simon was playing some weird game that required a headset and a lot of yelling and Magnus was probably in his room. Thus I was able to make it in and out without any questions. It wasn't like I was avoiding them. I just hadn't figured out were my head was at quite yet with the whole situation.

When I came back into my room, I finally took a good look at what I had been drawing. It was the scene from today mostly, Jace on stage guitar in hand, but there were dozens of others. Some were just small, like a picture drawn of a hand on the small of a back, an image of golden eye, a perfect set of lips set in a knowing smirk and even an angel rising with a large set of wings bearing familiar ragged blonde hair. Jace had infiltrated even her subconscious thoughts. There was some aspect of everything I had drawn that was a reminder of him.

The urgent vibrating of my phone signaling a text brought me back to reality and out of my unwillingly Jace obsessed mind. (Alright, maybe it was a little bit willingly). When I looked down at my phone to check the message, a strange sense of relief washed over me and the lump that was previously formed in my chest had dissipated.

 _Text from: 1-519-296-3778_

 _Hey, it's Jace._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 **Hey there friendships, me again. After like a billion years. Sorry, I very truly sorry but like life happens and I lost some motivation to write but I think it's back and the next chapter is in the works already. This one is short I know like most of my chapters but I find it difficult to make them longer so deal wit it. Anyway, reviews make me happy, in fact the make my wee heart sing with joy. Pls proceed to the chapter. Also if anyone has any music suggestions let me know, I'm always looking for some new stuff and I've been stuck in a rut lately.**

Previously:

 _Text from: 1-519-296-3778_

 _Hey, it's Jace_

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Holy Hell. How.

Apparently Jace had already figured out the whole talking to each other again situation. Man I would kill to have the connections that super duper rockstar dudes have. My case in point, I've just spent like a zillion hours agonizing over the fact that I would probably never speak to him again and he goes and solves the problem in like what probably two seconds. No fair I say.

Anyway…. Holy shit balls. What do I even say? We left on such a weird note. He was all like, "Hey how have you been? Ya great blah blah blah, design my album cover blah blah oh wait I forgot I'm a superstar and my fans are calling me can you just like chill for a bit, oh ya now I'm singing like a fucking angel, oh now I'm gonna drop a subtle hint about the fact that I may be into you, oh now I'm being mobbed, peace."

This day has actually been insane. Like I can't even. I'm such a common white girl I'm almost disgusted with myself about how much I can't even.

I guess I should stop being a whiny rat and text back now.

C: _Hey, should I be frightened that you somehow got my number?_

Smooth Clary. Real smooth.

J: _Nah. I have my sources. Totally legit of course._

C: _So, when you become famous do you just automatically get a group of professional stalkers to do your bidding?_

J: _Yes of course. They let me pick out of a catalogue of trained professionals._

Idk what's happening here. Lets continue on.

C: _So almighty Jace, what do I owe the pleasure of random dudes searching for my contact information, so that you might be able to contact me?_

J: _I need you to come down to this address tomorrow at like 11:30? Does that work for you? 250 Riverside ave._

C: _Ya that should work. May I ask why?_

J: _It's a surprise._

C: _Really, youre going to play that game with me?_

J: _See you tomorrow. X_

What a cheeky little bastard.

Well now I must harness the power of the interwebs and do a little digging of my own. Who needs creepy dudes when you have a lil wifi and a laptop. Any way, the only search result for that address turns out to be Herondale Records, so obviously it's something to do with his next album cover. I can't help but feel some slight disappointment, that this meet up was something more than professional. Realistically, who am I kidding, this kid hangs out with supermodels. Who am I to think I've got a shot with him? Whatever, I had totally forgotten about him until like what 2 days ago? Life went on before, it will go on again. I'll do this project for him (hopefully with a hefty payout, hehe) and then we'll go our separate ways and I will continue to avoid his music on mainstream radio channels as per usual. Problem solved.

So, imagine my disappointment when my fingers magically find a youtube vid of him singing the same song he sang at the reunion, its like they have a mind of their own. It's after probably the 27th time I've watched the clip that Simon pulls me out of my trance. Lol wut am I doing.

After Simon saved me from falling into a Jace induced coma, he informed me that he's going to be hanging out with some friends he reunited with at the reunion tomorrow, so he wouldn't be coming into the gallery with me. It's all good, this way he can't question where I'm going for my little project. It's better this way, no one will read anything into what's going on and I'll be able to focus in a more mature and professional manner. No outsiders to project some fantasy upon us and what's actually happening here. Ya, that's exactly what's going to happen, for sure.

The next morning, waking up was hell as per usual. I may have taken a little bit of extra time getting ready this morning, simply for the purpose of making myself feel good of course. Obviously. It has nothing to do with my meeting today with the popwad. No way.

I could barely focus on the paintings I was working on once I got to my gallery and the one of the ladies who walked in for a tour had the nerve to say I seemed distracted. Of course she was right but still, how rude.

Finally, at 11:15 I closed up my shop and quickly grabbed a much need starbucks before I jumped in a cab and headed down the record label. It wasn't too far and traffic was pretty light so I made it there in good time. The building itself was pretty typical of most in New York, tall, glass windows abso-fucking-loutely everwhere and such. The lobby was fairly simple and there was a directory on one of the walls. Before I made the treacherous decision of choosing between the floor that said cafeteria because duh food and its lunch time, and the floor that was mysteriously labeled 'fun zone' some one called my name.

"Clary! You made it!"

Swiveling on my heels, I abruptly came to face the popwad himself, Jace Wayland.

"Yes, how could I miss a chance to hangout with entertainment's biggest star?" I reply with a smile, sarcasm just dripping off the latter half of my response. All in good fun of course.

Jace merely responds with the usual smirk and throws an arm over my shoulder. Well this is a new development in our relationship. I simply take it in stride like the badass, confident gal I am. LOL jokes, every part of his body that is touching mine leaves a figuratively permanent trace on my body. How can someone who just came back into my mind, let alone my life, in the past two days have this much of an effect on me?

He leads me towards the elevator and presses the button for the 22nd floor. I didn't read what the directory said that floor was dedicated too, being too distracted by the prospect of food and fun.

On another note, Jace still has his arm wrapped around my shoulders, not that I mind of course. I mean, this is strictly a professional arm wrapped around shoulders situation, happens all the time. Well, maybe just in the more 'casual' workplaces, but still, a common occurrence. Right?

After the usual silent and awkward ride that happens in all elevators, the lift dings and opens up to a typical office space with a receptionist sitting behind a large white desk.

Jace casually strides up the desk pulling me along with him, did I mention he's now holding my hand? That one came out of left field, but still, I'm taking it all in stride, reminding myself that this is once again a mature, professional relationship.

The middle-aged receptionist with a tight bun and the stereotypical set of glasses greets Jace, "Mr. Wayland, right on time, I'll let the guys know you've arrived, you can head right on back to the main boardroom. They'll meet you there in a minute."

"Perfect thanks, Imogen, this is Clary by the way," Jace says, now moving his hand to the small of my back.

I respond with a small wave, "Very nice to meet you Imogen."

"You as well my dear, I'm looking forward to what your creative vision takes this album. Jace has spoken very highly of your work," She responds.

This statement takes me aback. How has Jace even seen my work?

"Oh, thank you, you're very kind, I just hope I can do his music justice." I respond, only stuttering on every other word. Super smooth I am.

When I look over at Jace his ears have tinged a slight pink. Could he possibly be nervous? Embarrassed perhaps? This thought makes me giggle internally. Seeing him uncomfortable gives a strange sense of relief. He's not quite as perfectly calm and cool as he makes himself out to be, I am now discovering.

Jace quickly cuts in when he notices my gaze, "Well we better be going to our meet then, always a pleasure Imogen." Jace then proceeds to grab my hand again and abruptly pull me down the hallway to the left.


	7. Chapter 7

**Yo, I'm not even gonna give an excuse for this being late because you should probably expect it by now. Plus I don't have an update schedule so its usually a surprise when these bad boys appear. Much love to the guest who suggested provided the music suggestion. V much appreciated. Please REVIEW, they make me smile even tho it pains me to smile. For real tho like my head hurts when I smile. I really don't know whats wrong with me. No one's probably reading this long of an authors note at this point so imma throw in some random stuff. Cats are the coolest. I hate wearing colours. My favourite food is potatoes. Peace and blessings.**

Chapter 7

After what felt like a million hours of sitting in a leather office chair around a large oval shaped table, the label and I had finally come to an agreement on the theme and depiction of Jace's next album cover. This album he had been working on had a much darker feel than what his fans have come to expect from him, thus his management team were taking extra care to make sure it would be a success.

We, as in myself and Jace's management, (Jace himself didn't really have an opinion on anything other than having myself on board) decided that the main idea would be a silhouette of Jace done in all black and white for the cover, and then I was given pretty much free reign on any other pieces that they would consider for the inside pamphlet thingy and any other promotional purposes they may need graphics for. All in all I was pretty stoked for the project and Jace seemed happy that I was happy. Which was very cute as well. I could actually count all his teeth, that's how big he was smiling. The kid surely had a face cramp after all was said and done. One may have found it rather frightening, but to me it was endearing that he cared about my opinion so much.

"So, now that it is sufficiently past lunch time, I do believe I owe you a meal." Jace began as he led me out of the meeting. With that dang arm once again slug around my shoulders. I was beginning to think I was just the perfect height to make a good armrest to be quite honest.

The thought of food made my stomach rumble in a loud and extremely unfortunate way. Keepin' it classy Clary as per usual.

"I feel as though my stomach just agreed to that proposition for me," while I hastily clutched at my middle trying to squash any further chance of embarrassment.

Jace of course just laughed and pulled me in a little closer to his side.

Totally casual.

As we made our way out of the elevator and through the lobby towards the front door, Jace sighed exasperatedly and his arm dropped from my shoulders.

At first I was confused but when I looked back towards the front entrance I was met with a wall of people and cameras. It was almost as if I had forgotten whose company I was in.

"Shit Jace, what do we do?" I whispered while still gawking at how large a crowd had formed outside of the building.

Jace apparently was already two steps ahead of me and was speaking violently on his cellphone to whoever was on the other line, "How did they know? Doesn't matter just get Bat down here okay?" He then abruptly shoved his phone into his back pocket and grabbed my hand. "Come on, we'll take the back way out."

Although I was kinda concerned with the temper that had abruptly flared out of Jace, I wasn't about to rip my hand away and stalk through a gigantic crowd of crazed tweens, so I followed along begrudgingly obedient.

Along the way through a maze of hallways a large man started following behind us. Not creepy at all.

"Uh Jace, you know bigfoot's behind us right?" I whispered in my most casual, 'I'm about to pee my pants because I'm so scared' voice.

This seemed to take the scowl off his face for a second as he replied, "Yes, that's Bat, the head of my security team." He then turned around and acknowledged the large hulking beast of a dude. "Say hi Bat, this is my friend Clary."

Bat didn't seem like much of a big talker and grunted out something that sounded like 'pleasure'. So I gave him a small wave and made a mental note to never piss him off.

We finally reached the end of the seemingly endless tunnel and Bat shuffled us into a waiting town car.

Jace didn't even look my way when we entered into the vehicle. His attitude had taken a complete 180-degree turn since seeing the paparazzi. I obviously am so foreign to this whole kind of situation and I barely know this version of Jace that I'm not quite sure what to do so I stay quiet. I don't even ask where we are driving.

After what seems like forever, Jace cuts me a sideways glance, his demeanor softening slightly when he sees my wary expression.

"Look, Clare, I'm really sorry but I'm going to have to reschedule this lunch. I have some things that I need to take care of. What's your address?" he asked softly.

After giving it to him he informed the driving and the remainder of the ride to my building was filled with a mildly uncomfortable silence. This was not how I expected the day to go in the least. It simply reconfirmed the fact that the small amount that I knew about Jace in high school was an infinitely greater amount of information that I knew now. Obviously a lot has happened to him and he was at the peak of career, I can't be easy to be the target of everyone's attention and he doesn't seem to be dealing with it all to well. At least that's what I can tell from today. Who knows, maybe he's just having an off day. Who am I to say? I don't even know him. And this discovery hurts me more than I thought it would.

When the car pulls up to my building, I begin to exit, saying a quick goodbye, when Jace's hand abruptly juts across the seat and grabs my wrist, stopping me from pulling myself to a standing position. I'm currently in limbo, half in and half out of the car when Jace says, "Thank you for helping me out Clare. You're it for me right now."

And with that he let me go and I shut the door of the car. It quickly pulled out from the curb and took off down the street, leaving me in utter confusion on the sidewalk.

 _What does that even mean, what does "you're it" even mean. This is not a game of tag._

It seems my internal dialogue doesn't take a break from being half-witted.

I stumbled up to elevator and into my flat in a daze of confusion. Not an unusual state for me to be in but the person who put me there is really fucking me up extra good.

I half-heartedly answered Magnus' greeting with a wave and 'Hey Maggie' before making my escape to room and flopping into my puffy marshmallow of a bed. As usual I will deal with my problems by checking out from reality and take a nap, where no attractive blond haired boys will hurt my brain with loaded riddles.


End file.
